This guidance note builds on the experience of UNDP and the EU in supporting national counterparts in preventing and resolving violent tensions, and is the first attempt at documenting and distilling best practices on insider mediation.

A key “lesson” from recent UN and international experience is that peace processes and agreements often founder due to the lack of internal capacity to manage sub-national conflicts, or to sustain the original agreement as new issues and tensions emerge. Unlike external mediation, insider mediation draws upon the abilities of institutions or individuals that are seen as “insiders” within a given context to broker differences, build consensus, and resolve conflict.

In recent years, insider mediators have helped ensure peaceful elections in countries as diverse as Ghana, Nepal and Uganda; they have helped resolve recurring local conflicts in Chad, Kyrgyzstan, Peru, and Timor-Leste; ensured that Tunisia moved forward despite facing significant political and security challenges; built consensus around national priorities in Bolivia, Fiji, and Mauritania; and, provided substantive support for the peace agreements in Colombia and the Philippines.